save the trees! - headwaters forest pic

[Don Baccus]

In article <3655FA7B.5D898EC1 at forestmeister.com>,
Joseph Zorzin  <redoak at forestmeister.com> wrote:

>It's the attitude of medieval royalty. The king got his power direct
>from God, which is where the aristocrats got their property rights.

Strikes both ways, for better or worse.  The king (and his) owned 
wildlife and much land.  Land titles gradually changed from king
to individuals (especially here, and most, most especially after
the Revolution, as many colonial lands were controlled by the king
indirectly beforehand, i.e. rights granted under constrictions based
on the king's original ownership) but wildlife ownership remained
rooted in the crown, and then in America, the Union.

Some may rant, rave, and wring their hands over the fact that our
God-blessed, incapable-of-error Founding Fathers failed to release
ownership of wildlife from public ownership, but...too late, I'm
afraid.
-- 

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
  Nature photos, on-line guides, at http://donb.photo.net